Director Jehane Noujaim discusses her documentary on Tahrir Square and three years of revolutionary political upheaval
The Square is the first Egyptian film to earn an Oscar nomination – but it cannot officially be shown in Egypt itself. That is down to its provocative subject matter: the documentary charts the course of Egypt's political upheaval since 2011, through the eyes of a handful of Tahrir Square protesters. Here, the film's director, Jehane Noujaim, explains how she made it, and defends her protagonists against accusations of idealism.
Patrick Kingsley: The film focuses on half a dozen protesters who you follow over a three-year period, beginning right at the start of the 2011 uprising. Why did you decide to focus on these people in particular, and how did you find them so early in the revolution?
Jehane Noujaim: I look for characters that I fall in love with, that will take me places that I have never been,...
The Square is the first Egyptian film to earn an Oscar nomination – but it cannot officially be shown in Egypt itself. That is down to its provocative subject matter: the documentary charts the course of Egypt's political upheaval since 2011, through the eyes of a handful of Tahrir Square protesters. Here, the film's director, Jehane Noujaim, explains how she made it, and defends her protagonists against accusations of idealism.
Patrick Kingsley: The film focuses on half a dozen protesters who you follow over a three-year period, beginning right at the start of the 2011 uprising. Why did you decide to focus on these people in particular, and how did you find them so early in the revolution?
Jehane Noujaim: I look for characters that I fall in love with, that will take me places that I have never been,...
- 1/20/2014
- by Patrick Kingsley
- The Guardian - Film News
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